Murdered MIT professor was found in building foyer by neighbor who heard gunshots

The 47‑year‑old faculty member, a married father of three, was taken to the hospital where he later died after being gunned down on Monday night. The tragedy struck the peaceful, upscale Boston suburb just days following a mass shooting near 50 miles away at Brown University.

Loureser’s upstairs neighbor, Louise Cohen, told the Boston Globe that she was lighting a menorah candle for Hanukkah at about 8:30 p.m. when a series of gunshots wrenched her from the task. She then saw the professor lying on his back in the building’s entrance and immediately dialed 911, joining another neighbor and Professor Loureiro’s wife, Ines, in calling for help.

Cohen said, “I can’t sleep now. This family is so amazing. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.”

Another neighbor, Anne Greenwald, recounted being inside her house when she heard a loud noise that her husband recognized as gunfire. “When we went outside there were already a lot of police cars,” she told The Post. She said she feels “horrible for the family,” a group she didn’t know well but would often greet in the neighborhood.

“We’re all here to support in any way we can. And I know lots of people are organizing support for the family,” Greenwald added.

So far, no suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made by Wednesday morning. The shooting comes just as a separate gunman who killed two and wounded nine at Brown University remains at large.

Brookline Police Chief Jennifer Paster said in a statement, “This remains an active and ongoing homicide investigation. To protect the integrity of the investigation, we are limited in the information we can share at this time and ask for the community’s understanding and patience.” She added that the department would deploy dedicated patrol cars, officers, and unmarked units in the area after the vigil held outside the professor’s home on Tuesday night.

Loureiro, a theoretical physicist and fusion scientist, joined MIT in 2016. He became deputy director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2022 and was named its lead in 2024, a role in which he advanced clean‑energy research. The center is one of MIT’s largest laboratories, with over 250 staff in seven buildings.

“He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner,” said Dennis Whyte, a former lead of the same center.

In January, former President Joe Biden announced that Loureiro was among 400 scientists nominated for the residential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the White House’s highest honor for outstanding early‑career scientists and engineers.